The Dreadnaughts
The Dreadnaughts (ドリドナウトス, Doridonautosu) are a dark guild currently led by Lancaster Black, a powerful mage who once served in the Circle of Seven in the city of Ilmarinen. The group comprises of mainly fugitives and mercenaries that serve Lancaster, and are the main antagonists of the band, Wings of Archadia. Overview Lancaster Black, leader of the Dreadnaughts, brought together its other members with the goal of reshaping the world in a new image. The guild shares an opinion that the current world is too divided, with factions splintering off to create new leaders. The Dreadnaughts wish to unify the world, bringing all kingdoms under one rule to reach its true potential. While most share this desire, there are some members who joined with the promise of riches and power. Membership To join the Dreadnaughts, a member must "die" in real life. In essence, each member must discard their previous identity and life, taking on a new one upon joining the guild. Some members even go as far as to change their appearance to further cement their new identity. A second requirement is that a mage must be, or close to, an S-Class Mage. This makes the guild extremely dangerous as each member is a formidable combatant. Locations & Buildings The exact location of The Dreadnaughts' headquarters is unknown, but its scenery indicates that its located in a mountainous area blanketed by snow. It is hinted to be located near Mount Hakobe due to its wintery weather conditions. Also, it seems to be shrouded in constant darkness due to the thick fog and clouds above. The surrounding area is also known to harbor vicious creatures that make traveling by foot extremely dangerous. In the heart of this area is Black Manor, the guild's headquarters. Appearing as something from a horror novel, Black Manor is composed of several homes grouped together around a cathedral type building. Each home is built from wrought iron, stone and thick dark wood, while the windows are tall and arch at the top. These windows allow its inhabitants to overlook the entire estate. There are also numerous withered trees located throughout the property with twisted bodies and barren branches. Each Dreadnaught has their own home with furnishings tailored to their personalities, while the cathedral in the center is reserved specifically to Lancaster Black. The entire estate is fenced off by a simple fence composed of black stone with openings guarded by two large stone knights made from the same material. These stationary figures serve to ward off strangers and wanderers from entering the property. To add even more of an eerie appearance, torches lit with blue flames frame stone walkways that lead to the manor's entrance, while similar lights can be seen inside. History It is unknown when exactly Lancaster formed the guild, but it was sometime after he fled Ilmarinen with Arno Drobisch, his chief scientist who worked under him. He traveled throughout the kingdom looking for specific individuals who filled a certain criteria and possessed a level of power that could help him realize his dreams. Strength The Dreadnaughts are comprised of incredibly powerful mages, most of which are S-Class mage or close to it. This was a requirement set by its leader, Lancaster Black. Even Ranulf Stigma, who is considered the guild's weakest member, is still a formidable combatant with his unique tattoo magic. There are three members who hold the ranks of being the guild's top enforcers: Guntram Olbrich, Sparrow Blunderbuss and Crow Freyr. These three mages possess incredibles levels of magical and each wield powerful forms of magic. Guntram is a seasoned mage able to use various forms of Magic and is able to summon the End of Days, a group of magical swords each with their own set of abilities. Sparrow uses a form of Requip Magic called The Arbiter that incases his entire body in near invulnerable armor and equips him with a powerful sword and shield. Crow Freyr wields a unique form of Fire Magic called Red Flare that is highly explosive and cannot be extinguished by water or wind. He's able to wield this fire with complete mastery and use it for a variety of purposes. To help Lancaster plan his schemes, he's employed Katarina Thieleke, who is able to predict the future that ensure his victories. Johan Hellstrom and his Iron Fist Magic combined with his hand-to-hand skills have seen to be on par with Royce Blixtrande of Wings of Archadia, who is himself a powerful combatant. Faye Aldrete is the guild's stealthy assassin, able to infultrate any location and eliminate her targets using her Wire Magic. Arno Drobisch is extremely intelligent, and uses his vast knowledge to craft powerful weapons and magical artifacts that further Lancaster's goals. Leading these powerful individuals is Lancaster Black, an extremely cunning, intelligent and powerful mage with vast experience in enhancing magical power. He himself is so powerful with his Memory-Make that he's regarded as the most powerful of all the Dreadnaughts, even being able to boast that he's stronger than most of them combined. In essence, Lancaster constructed a guild to be feared and able to take on the Royal Knights or Illmarinen's Order of Nine. Members Trivia *A Dreadnaught (or more commonly, dreadnought) was a type of battleship introduced in the early 20th century, larger and faster than its predecessors and equipped entirely with large-caliber guns. Category:Dark Guilds